25 Fitzroy Street

Formally Recognized:
1979/10/26

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

n/a

Construction Date(s)

1905/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register:
2005/11/07

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

25 Fitzroy Street is a wood framed, Queen Anne Revival influenced home, built for James J. Hornby in 1905. The home is set back from the street on a treed lot. The designation encompasses the building’s exterior and parcel; it does not include the building’s interior.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of 25 Fitzroy Street lies in its association with various Charlottetown citizens; its Queen Anne Revival influenced architecture; and its importance to the Fitzroy Street streetscape.

25 Fitzroy Street was built in 1905 for James J. Hornby, an agent for Robert Simpson & Company of Water Street in Charlottetown. Prominent local architect, C.B. Chappell was hired to design the home. Hornby did not stay in the home for a very long period. By 1922, Hornby had moved and settled in a home on Brighton Road and George DesBrisay DeBlois is listed in the local telephone directory as residing at 25 Fitzroy Street.

George DesBrisay DeBlois was a successful wholesale merchant and exporter. He was President of the long successful, DeBlois Brothers firm. DeBlois would later be appointed to the post of Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island. He was married to Marion Newbery who was the daughter of Charlottetown's famous amateur horticulturist, Arthur Newbery.

DeBlois and his family also did not stay long at 25 Fitzroy Street, as two years later, the McAlpine’s Directory of 1924-1925 lists civil engineer, W.E. Hyndman as a resident of the home. Hyndman would later become the District Engineer for the Dominion Department of Public Works. He would remain at 25 Fitzroy Street for approximately ten years. Later residents of the home included Charles MacKenzie and the widow of local politician, Murdoch McKinnon.

25 Fitzroy Street was influenced by the Queen Anne Revival style, a style that was somewhat subdued in Charlottetown compared to other provinces. The Queen Anne Revival style was popular in Charlottetown from approximately 1880 until 1910. Richard N. Shaw (1831-1912), a British architect, created the style that incorporated some of the classical motifs popular during Queen Anne's reign (1702-1714). Features of the style include, very large asymmetrical designs, a variety of rooflines and bay windows, all of which have been incorporated into the design of 25 Fitzroy Street.

25 Fitzroy Street is a well preserved example of the Queen Anne Revival influenced style in the City and is located in an area with a number of heritage homes and its presence contributes to the Fitzroy Street streetscape.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements illustrate the Queen Anne influenced heritage value of 25 Fitzroy Street:
- The overall massing of the building
- The details of the exterior including the bracketing, the mouldings below the third floor windows and the protruding belt course
- The wooden shingle cladding
- The small porch on the east side of the building
- The size and placement of the tall windows, including the bay windows that span two floors, the paired windows of the gable that have interestingly glazing bars and the windows of the porch
- The size and off centre placement of the door
- The size and placement of the porch with its fanlight and sidelights
- The pitch of the various gable roofs
- The placement and style of the tall chimneys
Other character-defining elements include:
- The cantilevered gable facing the street with its supporting buttress and faux support beams on its underside
- The location of the building on Fitzroy Street